Temporary care home residents

Some people will move into a care home on a temporary basis. This could be for respite care, care after a hospital stay until they get well enough to return home, because they are waiting for more suitable housing or for a trial period. The council’s care assessment should make it clear whether your stay is regarded as temporary or permanent. Your stay can be classed as temporary for up to 52 weeks, or longer in exceptional circumstances. If the council agrees to arrange a temporary stay for you, it can ask you to contribute towards the cost in one of two ways. It can apply its normal financial assessment to you straight away, or it can ask you to pay a reasonable amount for the first 8 weeks. After 8 weeks the council must use its normal financial assessment. If you receive regular respite care - for example respite care for one week in every six weeks – your council must decide whether to apply the financial assessment or to charge you a reasonable amount for your series of respite care weeks.

If the council applies its normal financial assessment to you for respite care then it must: • ignore the value of your home if you intend to return to live there or if you are taking steps to sell your home so you can buy somewhere more suitable • help you financially if your savings are £28,750 or less and you do not have enough income to pay the for the home • ignore some of your income so you can continue to pay bills at home, such as fuel costs and insurance premiums • ignore any help with housing costs you receive as part of your

Pension Credit, such as money to help with service charges or a Support for Mortgage Interest loan • ignore any Housing Benefit you receive • ignore any Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance care component or Personal Independence Payment daily living component you receive. If you are receiving financial support from the council towards the cost of your temporary stay, all three will stop after 28 days but they can restart once you return home. Get advice about your benefits and tell the Department for Work and Pensions if you are regularly moving in and out of a care home or hospital.

A temporary stay becomes permanent

Where a temporary place in a care home has been arranged but your stay then becomes permanent, the financial assessment for a permanent place will apply from the date your stay officially becomes permanent. If a stay which was intended to be permanent turns out to be temporary the council should assess you as a temporary resident as soon as this becomes clear. This may happen if, for example, you return to your own home, move in with friends or family, or enter sheltered housing.